Beginning last Wednesday night, a large storm accompanied by heavy rains, high winds blew into Santa Cruz County, bringing surf advisories, power outages, and flash flood warnings all along the California Coast.
Many communities in the San Lorenzo Valley were without power as the gusty winds took down tree branches and utility lines, and already-slick roads were made treacherous by mud, leaves, and other debris.
The San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District preemptively declared its campuses closed on Thursday the previous evening in anticipation of dangerous conditions.
The rain, which began in earnest Thursday morning, is predicted to continue through Friday, and forecasters predict it will bring an estimated eight inches of rainfall for the coastal region.
By comparison, last week’s storm yielded between eight and 10 inches in the San Lorenzo Valley — over a much longer time frame.
“You can expect probably just as much (rain) if not a little less, but in a shorter amount of time,” explained National Weather Service Meteorological Technician Diana Henderson.
Although winds were high at times, they were not the near-hurricane force winds some feared.
High winds will escort high waves, which may surpass 20 feet in height along the beach.
Flash floods create hazardous driving conditions with excessive rainfall runoff causing roadways, highways, streets, and underpasses to flood.
Low areas of elevation, country roads, and areas close to creeks and streams may overflow and result in danger.
“Be really cognizant of rivers and things around you and keep the news close at hand,” Henderson said.
Henderson also said that there might be some rain in the forecast for Sunday and Monday as well, but nothing compared to the copious amounts that Thursday brought.
California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Bradley Sadek said that motorists should reduce their speed and increase the amount of space between vehicles allowing more time to respond to unexpected conditions on the roadway.
“When the road’s wet it basically acts as a lubricant between the tires and the vehicle,” he said.
Operating a vehicle more smoothly around turns and not abruptly slamming on the brakes will give tires more traction on the slippery pavement.
“On certain roadways like Highway 17, it’s a good thing to look as far ahead as you possibly can,” Sadek explained.
Reducing speed by 10 miles per hour, especially on winding mountainous roads like Highway 17 and Highway 9, will allow drivers to see downed trees ahead and will also keep vehicles from losing control of the curves.
“We always want people to drive slow,” said John Presleigh, director of the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works. “There are going to be a lot of crews out there — including not only road crews, but PG&E crews, AT&T, Verizon — they are all out there so we just have to be mindful that they are out there trying to clear the road.”
Presleigh cautioned that strong winds will take trees down, bringing wires down with them, resulting in some power outages and road closures.
“Don’t try to drive around a tree with wires down, that’s just unsafe,” he said.
Downed trees and wires were common with last Tuesday’s storm. Three years of drought have made trees more susceptible to falling, Presleigh said.
He also said that mudslides are possible, which can cause significant damage or complete destruction to roadways.
“If you have a mudslide that takes out a drainage inlet, then you might lose your road on top of that,” Presleigh said. “Crews will be monitoring that all through the storm.”
Caltrans began filling potholes in summer to prepare for winter weather, said Susana Cruz, Public Information Officer for Caltrans District 5.
All culverts have been routinely checked to prevent flooding, and crews and dispatchers will be on call 24/7 during the storm to clear roadways.
There are currently a total of 47 employees split between five Caltrans crews who will be servicing the area.
CHP and Caltrans work together to close off roads and will put closures and other information on the changeable message boards to keep motorists informed.
“I think that the best thing during a challenging time — whether it be Mother Nature or some accident that happens — it’s coming together that is really cool,” Cruz said. “The different agencies working together, we are all for safety of the public and our families as well.”
